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“But Frederic...”
“I said not again,” he snaps, with his face turning my way. His eyes seem to bulge as his lips twist upwards in a snarl. I take a step back, feeling my core tightening, and I curl into myself before I hug my stomach with my arms.
“I could do some research about jobs or things to study. That way, I could pitch in to pay off our debt.” His icy stare freezes over me. “It’s a good idea,” I add, but he doesn’t move, doesn’t even blink. Like a statue, his gaze haunts me.
“I don’t want to get married,” I state finally. A scoff leaves his mouth.
“I didn’t want Chester to almost bankrupt us, but that’s what happened. If you want to keep wearing those diamond earrings and those cashmere sweaters, then you have to get married.”
“I don’t need those things. I can live without them.”But you can’t.
A vein pulses in his forehead before a mocking laugh leaves his lips. The laughter ends with him shaking his head as if I’m some silly little girl.
I don’t care about the dresses or the gold bracelets. I care about family, about working hard for something and deserving it in the end like Dad had done. I don’t want a marriage just so we can remain dripping with wealth.
But Frederic cares. He cares about his cars, his trips, and his clothes. As long as people believe he’s obscenely rich, then all is well in his world.
“Dad worked until he fell dead, Evangeline. He worked for us, for Mum, because he wanted to give his family a great life. And look at us, we don't have a penny to spare because of Boyd.” Frederic grits through his teeth, and my eyes are quick to tear over when he brings Dad into our conversation.
He died in his office in the late hours of the night. He worked himself to the bone for us to live grandly while he was chained to his job. We had a good life and that was all because of him.
But his hard work was destroyed in a matter of years and everything he wanted for Mum is gone as well. It pains me to know that his hard work was for nothing and that Mum will live a life that wasn’t destined for her because of Frederic’s mistakes.
I don’t want to get married, but I also don’t want to dishonour my father’s hard work.
“There must be another solution.” I try desperately, but Frederic shakes his head.
“I work hard to keep this family afloat, Evangeline. I work day in and day out to make sure you can play tennis with your little friend, and Mum can dine on overpriced Caesar salads every day. So, the least you can do is agree to marry to secure our damn futures.” His voice rises with every word. The red present in his cheeks is a Clairwater trait, but the bared teeth and the slamming of his fist against the counter are not. And as he takes a step closer to me, I can’t help but take one back while my heart beats in my ears.
The clatter of my teeth makes me cover my mouth for a second before I realise that Frederic is all bark and no bite, and I have to try and make him listen to me.
“I can go to school. I can work,” I say, hearing my own voice rising.Why can’t he even try to see beyond the obvious?
“No,” he snaps, “it won’t be enough.”
“Why not?” I beg to understand. The crack in my voice echoes through my ears as my eyes travel to the ceiling for a second. I need to understand, to come to terms with my future. To accept.
“A lifetime of you working won’t lower the pile of debts we have, Evangeline. It won’t be enough. You’ll marry, and that’s the end of it.”
“I don’t fucking want to,” I yell, and it’s as if a dam broke, because it takes him but a second before he’s inches from my face, breathing deeply with relentless anger in his eyes.
My feet hastily step backwards before my hip scrapes against the door handle. My heartbeat starts to race, making my chest ache. My legs tremble as I try to figure out if I should run, scream or cry.
Frederic won’t hurt me, I repeat, but as I feel his warm breath hitting my cheeks and his jaw tightening along with his fists, I fear that I could be wrong.
“You’ll fucking marry,” he snarls, spit hitting me on my cheek and making me turn my head sideways. I feel the ghost of his lips against my ear. My teeth clatter. The pressure on my chest increases, making it extremely hard to keep the tears at bay. I want this failed conversation to be over.
Like a child, I close my eyes before dropping my head against the kitchen door. A few seconds later, Frederic stomps away, and I hold my breath until I hear his bedroom door slamming closed upstairs.
Relief floods me, and I gasp for oxygen before I drop my hand on my chest, feeling my heart racing. But the aftershock of the encounter leaves me shaking, so I slide down to the floor slowly with my back against the kitchen door.
A tear rolls over my cheek as my dreams evaporate in front of my eyes. Gone are my goals. Stolen is my future, all because of Frederic.
I turn my head to the front door, visualising another villain in my story living in one of the houses across the street. He stated that all Clairwaters are liars, that I am exactly like my brother.
“I’m nothing like him,” I whisper when fear shudders over my spine. I wipe my sweaty hands on my light blue jeans.
I grab my phone out of my jeans pocket to focus on something else. A picture of a bird amongst flowers greets me before I unlock the screen and go straight to Topper’s contact information to send him a text.
